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Warning

UBL-CR-438: A direct debit mandate signature ID is not used

In short

Warning: worth checking.

UBL-CR-438 means the payment mandate in your UBL invoice or credit note has a signature identifier (cbc:SignatureID), which EN 16931 does not use. Remove the element from cac:PaymentMeans/cac:PaymentMandate, export again and recheck the file.

On this page

What it means

This rule checks for cbc:SignatureID within cac:PaymentMeans/cac:PaymentMandate in a UBL invoice or credit note. The identifier concerns the mandate's signature, not a signature on the invoice. EN 16931 has no business term for it. The mandate reference (BT-89) is a separate identifier.

Why it matters

EN 16931 does not use a signature identifier in its direct debit information, so this element produces a warning.

How to fix it

Delete cbc:SignatureID from cac:PaymentMeans/cac:PaymentMandate. Leave any mandate reference (BT-89) in cbc:ID of the mandate. If your invoicing software adds the signature identifier, adjust the XML export to omit this element. Export again and recheck the file.

Once the file is corrected, check it again for free: Validate an invoice against EN 16931

Or fix the invoice in a form and download the corrected file, for 1 credit: Fix a rejected e-invoice

The rule as published

A UBL invoice should not include the PaymentMeans PaymentMandate SignatureID

Where this rule applies

Rule set Version
EN 16931 (UBL) 1.3.17
EN 16931 (UBL credit note) 1.3.17
XRechnung 3.0 (UBL) 3.0.2
XRechnung 3.0 (UBL credit note) 3.0.2
Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 (invoice) 2026.5
Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 (credit note) 2026.5
SI-UBL 2.0 / NLCIUS (invoice) 2.0.3.13
SI-UBL 2.0 / NLCIUS (credit note) 2.0.3.13
France CTC (UBL invoice) 1.4.0-04
France CTC (UBL credit note) 1.4.0-04
CIUS-RO UBL Invoice 1.0.9 1.0.9
CIUS-RO UBL Credit Note 1.0.9 1.0.9
Rule text from phive-rules 4.6.4.

Check your file

Drop your e-invoice to see whether UBL-CR-438 still fails, and which other rules do.

Updated 6 November 2026